Graduation Trip Gone Wrong: The Med Swap

A low-battery warning popped up on my phone right after I sent the text.

Zayden's face darkened at the message I'd sent my father. A second later, he sneered, "Using the same old threat on me again? Grow up, Noelle."

He tried to snatch my phone, but I kept it out of his reach. I was already nauseous from the wrenching pain in my chest and the struggle to get enough oxygen to my brain.

Going for broke, I swallowed the two ibuprofen pills Zayden gave me, but they didn't help with my altitude sickness. If anything, they made my stomach churn even more.

Nausea and retching were natural consequences of altitude sickness, but the ibuprofen made those symptoms worse.

At that moment, Erica walked over with my bottle of imported medication in hand. She eyed me piteously. "Noelle, don't be so hard on Zayden. I'm just so physically weak that the smell of gasoline makes me nauseous."

Right in front of me, she poured out two pills and slowly swallowed them with water. She deliberately slowed down her movements, exaggerating every gesture, fearing I wouldn't see clearly.

Black spots appeared in my vision.

That bottle of medication had cost me 500 dollars. I'd had it shipped from Gerbane, and it was a specialty drug meant to target altitude sickness.

Each bottle contained ten pills, and each pill cost a small fortune. And yet, Erica was ingesting my life-saving pills like they were candy, deliberately rubbing the act in my face.

Zayden held her steady. His face was full of sympathy.

"You're too kind, Erica, not that someone like Noelle would appreciate it." He turned to look down at me. "Drop the act, Noelle. I asked my friend, who's a doctor, about altitude sickness. It's caused by a lack of oxygen. It's nothing warm water and deep breathing can't fix.

"Your medication is nothing more than a placebo. It's not a miracle cure. Erica needs it more than you do because she isn't mentally strong enough to overcome her symptoms."

With some effort, I tried to reach into my backpack for the spare oxygen canister, only to realize it was missing.

Zayden pulled my oxygen canister from under Erica's seat. "Let Erica use this too. Look at you—aren't you still okay? Don't be so delicate. My family can't afford to have a princess like you."

His indifference broke me.

They'd taken my anti-sickness medication and my oxygen canister—basically everything, while I was left to suffocate in the thin air. I summoned whatever strength I had left to bite out, "Zayden, I really will die."

"Die? Can't you stop being so dramatic? Erica's condition is much worse than yours, and she hasn't complained at all," Zayden pointed out.

Erica looked feeble as she nestled in his embrace. "Noelle, I know you don't like me, but I'm really sick. Zayden told me you'd be fine, given how strong you are."

With that, she shook out another pill from the bottle and swallowed it like candy. She even made it a point to lick her lips this time, as if savoring the pill. I met her provocative, gloating gaze and felt my limbs tremble with anger.

"That's enough!"

I tried to snatch the bottle, but Zayden shoved me away. "Have you lost your mind, Noelle? Erica's weak enough as it is! Why would you want to take the pills from her?"

He'd shoved me hard enough that I hit the car door. A sharp ache filled my chest.

Erica clutched the bottle of medication tightly. Her eyes were glistening with tears as she stared at Zayden. "Did I do something wrong, Zayden? Why does Noelle hate me so much?"

"You didn't do anything wrong. She's just selfish." Zayden rubbed slow, gentle circles on Erica's back. "She's been spoiled rotten since she was little and thinks she's the center of the world."

My heart ached to the point of bursting as their conversation rang in my ears.

This was the man who'd promised he'd take care of me for the rest of my life. And now, here he was—impassive as he watched me suffer from altitude sickness.

I rallied what little strength I had left and grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground. Hurling it at Zayden with as much force as I could muster, I yelled, "Both of you can get the hell out of my sight!"